1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to predicting a fall of a humanoid robot.
2. Description of Background Art
Several factors can threaten the balance of humanoid robots. These factors include unexpected external forces, power failure, component failure, communication failure, or foot slippage, among others. As a result, robots are typically monitored in controlled environments that involve very little physical contact. Yet, as humanoid robots gain more autonomy and enter realistic human environments, inevitably they will encounter threats to fall more frequently. Falls are undesirable because they can cause physical damage to the robot and its surroundings. This calls for the development of an integrated fall management strategy that includes fall avoidance (balance maintenance), prediction, and control.
Fall avoidance schemes attempt to reduce the incidence of fall. When fall does occur, fall control schemes can potentially minimize damage to the robot and its surroundings. For example, a fall control scheme can cause the robot to move so that it changes its direction of fall and avoids hitting a nearby object when falling. What is needed is a way to predict the occurrence of a fall so that a controller of the robot can switch from fall avoidance to fall control at the appropriate time. Such a prediction can prompt the robot to abandon the balance maintenance mode and execute a fall control mode.